Papers

You are kindly invited to join the 4th edition of DigitalHeritage World Congress and Expo by submitting original contributions applied to the various areas within the Digital Cultural Heritage domain. The congress is organised around a scientific core, developed with the most innovative, original and previously unpublished contributions in theoretical or applied Digital Heritage domains. 

Following the successful format of the previous editions, the congress has a single call for papers and a coordinated scientific review process. All submitted papers have a blind peer review by the International Programme Committee (IPC). The IPC seeks, for every submission, at least one “digital” and one “heritage” reviewer to ensure a rich diversity of accepted works spanning both technology and humanities. Conference proceedings are published in Open Access with Eurographics (EG) publisher, available in the EG Digital Library, indexed by Scopus and Web of Science. A selection of papers will be invited for an extended publication in leading journals (ACM JOCCH, Elsevier DAACH, MDPI Heritage, Indiana Univ. Press “Studies in Digital Heritage”) (more in Call4Paper).

All submissions will be reviewed for originality, significance, clarity, impact, and soundness. Each submission shall indicate the specific “Track” that is relevant to the submission, selecting it among the main 6 thematic tracks, the 7th dedicated to special strategic sessions or the 8th dedicated to the co-located ACM conference Web3D (more in Tracks & Subtracks). You can submit: full papers, short papers, posters, tutorials, workshops, panels (more in Types of Contribution)

Beyond the scientific presentations, the congress is also organising a Scientific Expo (more in Expo), and a Trade Show dedicated to companies and to the exploitation activities of organisations (more in Trade Show).

CALL FOR PAPERS, WORKSHOPS, PANEL & TUTORIAL

Author registration and contributions submissions are accepted SOLELY through the official conference platform OpenReview, accessible starting from February the 10th. 2025.

*SPECIAL SESSIONS: a dedicated track, moderated by a chair, focused on a specific emerging or interdisciplinary topic, that complements the main conference themes, and that may depend on an existing project or event. It is organized by experts in the field, or PI or chairs of the projects/events and may include invited talks and contributed papers selected by the call4paper. Special Sessions follow the same peer-review process as standard sessions, although it may have tailored submission criteria or invited contributions. A number of strategic sessions have been defined by the DH2025 committee upon Call4Proposal, closed in January 2025. The special sessions is published in the EG DL, with all contributions grouped in a section.

DigitalHeritage 2025 Special Sessions are:

• ACM Web3D (Co-Located Event). Chairs: Nicholas Polys (Virginia Tech),  Anita Havele (Executive Director, Web3D Consortium) – https://web3d.siggraph.org/2025/start/ 

The 30th International ACM Conference on 3D Web Technology (Web3D 2025) is a major annual event for the 3D Web community. Sponsored by ACM SIGGRAPH, in cooperation with Web3D Consortium and supported by Eurographics. This year’s conference will be co-located with Digital Heritage 2025, a premier international event that unites multiple heritage domains and conferences under one platform. As the leading global event on digital technology for documenting, conserving, and sharing heritage – from landscapes and monuments to museums, collections, and intangible traditions. The purpose of the Conference is to study and share the principles of the latest advancements in interactive 3D technologies, including Digital Heritage. The conference will bring together experts from around the world to discuss the latest research, development, and practices related to these technologies.

• Digital technologies for Colour Analysis, Reconstruction and Visualisation (Organised by PERCEIVE) Chairs Catlin Langford and Donata Magrini

How to exhibit the sensitive cultural heritage and materials and which are the possibilities of digital interventions? The special session will consider the idea of ‘exhibiting the unexhibitable’. Based on the European project PERCEIVE*’s results, the session chairs invite researchers and professionals interested in coloured collections to submit original work that could nurture the discussion of cultural objects which no longer feature their original colour, and objects which cannot be exhibited because of their light sensitivity and tendency for colours to fade. [*PERCEIVE is working on new ways to perceive, preserve, curate, exhibit, understand and access fragile, coloured cultural heritage. Using 5 scenarios, we focus on ‘care’, ‘accessibility’ and ‘authenticity’, promoting and expanding access to cultural heritage and its wider integration in society. Research has focused on the latest innovations and possibilities of digital heritage, working in conjunction with world-leading cultural organisations including Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, Munch museum and Victoria and Albert Museum.]

• Collaborative cloud for Cultural Heritage (Organised by ECHOES) Chairs: Emanuel Demetrescu and Sorin Hermon
• H2IOSC project development and results  (Organised by H2IOSC) Chair: Alberto Buccero and Riccardo Colella

In the framework of DH25, the DHILAB of ISPC-CNR in Lecce will organize a special session dedicated to the developments and research results achieved on the Italian PNRR H2IOSC project, which focuses on the creation of a strategic cluster of four digital infrastructures for humanities and cultural heritage in Italy. The session aims to host at least 8 invited speakers, who will present the work carried out by their respective research teams within the H2IOSC PNRR project. The session will be structured in two parts, with a coffee break in between, and will last no more than half a day. Each speaker will have 15 minutes for the presentation, followed by a 5-minute Q&A. The session will be moderated by two session chairs, who will facilitate the discussions and ensure a smooth flow of presentations.

• Heritage Under Fire: Digital and Cultural Challenges in Conflict Zones  (Organised by From Space to Place Initiative by S. Campana&M. Forte) – Chair: Workshop Edition 2025 by S. Campana (University of Siena), M. Nebbia (University College London).

In most areas affected by conflict, archaeology and heritage sites are damaged and destroyed either as deliberate act of war and propaganda or as collateral damage of overall bombing and shelling. This session aims at discussing how the international community of heritage specialists and archaeologists is tackling cultural heritage damage monitoring and management in conflict areas. We identified four key areas for a broader discussion with scholars and practitioners that are involved in projects related to conflict archaeology:
1. The role of digital technologies (remote sensing, AI, virtual reality, etc..) before, during and after the conflict. The significance of assessment before the conflict, of monitoring during the conflict, and management after the conflict. Assessment data ownership and liability.
2. Standardization of assessment, methodologies and approaches, including the definition of categories of damage (urban shelling and bombing, looting in urban areas and remote areas, earthworks on archaeological areas), damage mapping approaches (different methodologies yield partial but complementary results), framework for comparisons across different conflict areas.
3. Interoperability and data sharing among different projects and different actors. Data is sensible and dangerous to collect, especially during the conflict, but for understanding the purpose of destruction sometime is necessary.
4. Relationship between the international community of researchers and the local partners based in areas of conflict. Different concepts of heritage in different countries and regions vs a common digital strategy and documentation standards.
We would like contributions that tackle one or more of these related topics and wish for a fruitful discussion.

• CAA special session (Organised by CAA conference)
• Digital Technologies for CHANGES (Organised by CHANGES foundation) Chair: Silvio Peroni
• Phygital Worlds and eXtended Reality in Cultural Heritage (Organised by XR Salento) Chair: Lucio Tommaso De Paolis (Univ. Salento)

The term “phygital” refers to the blending of the physical and digital worlds. It describes how digital technology is increasingly integrated into physical spaces and experiences, transforming objects and environments by providing new and personalized ways to engage with them. Extended reality (XR) is revolutionizing how the public experiences and interacts with cultural environments, as well as how researchers’ study and preserve tangible and intangible heritage. This special session aims to bring together XR experts to explore the “phygital” world and the potential new frontiers of virtual cultural heritage. The special session will be a satellite event of the XR Salento 2025 conference, which will take place in Otranto (Lecce, Italy) from June 17 to 20, 2025

• Play, Learn, Explore: Cultural journeys of hidden treasures through Serious Games (Organised by the Serious Games Society) Chairs: Chiara Eva Catalano (CNR IMATI) and  Kevin Körner (University of Tubingen)

Serious Games (SGs) have become a valid tool for learning and training in the last few years. Thanks to methodologies and technologies dedicated to the design, authoring, configuration/adaptation and use of SGs, it is possible to design and personalise contents and presentation modalities to the different user needs and preferences. This session aims to explore the maturity and potential of serious games in communicating and promoting cultural experiences. The focus will be on the relationship between cultural sites or objects and visitors, soliciting particularly games that encourage physical visits and foster interaction between art and people, potentially mediated by technology. Special attention will be given to small and lesser-known cultural venues that have limited access to such technologies and interactive experiences.

The Serious Games Society (SGS) was created to bring together leading institutions, companies, and individuals involved in researching and developing Serious Games. Its goal is to serve as a central reference point for Serious Games and gamification at the scientific, technological, and professional levels, offering a platform for generating, sharing, and coordinating SG-related research and development activities at both European and international levels. It also publishes the International Journal of Serious Games and organises the annual GALA conference, which brings together the community. With its extensive experience in applying games across various sectors, including Cultural Heritage, SGS is well positioned to contribute to advancing the scientific discussion on games for culture at Digital Heritage 2025.